The jersey is still sky blue but almost everything else is set to change in Astana in 2025 - and it's largely thanks to a massive investment by Chinese bike manufacturer XDS in the team.
XDS is now part-owner of the team and riders will use their X-LAB bikes as XDS aims to become a global leader in the cycling industry.
The team will officially be called XDS Astana Team instead of Astana Qazaqstan, with team manager Alexander Vinokourov, director sportif Mark Renshaw and several riders travelling to Shenzhen in China for an official announcement and signing ceremony.
It appears that Mark Cavendish will not have a role in the XDS Astana team. Cavendish was initially involved in planning for the team's future and helped bring former pros Alex Dowsett and Pete Kennaugh to bolster the team's performance and management staff, but he was not present at the Shenzhen launch.
Riders showed off the new jersey in China. It has some touches of colours on the shoulder but is largely sky blue and includes some Kazakhstani sponsors. The racing kit is made by Italian brand Biemme.
"Under XDS’s investment, the Astana team will benefit from the brand’s advanced engineering capabilities, cutting-edge bicycle technology, and strong financial backing," the team announced in a press release from Shenzhen.
"This investment represents a significant step for XDS as it positions itself as a key player in the international cycling arena, helping propel the team to even greater success in the years ahead."
XDS has long been a frame producer for other international brands but will now begin to expand globally.
"The major investment of the Astana team is not only a major step for XDS in the world of professional cycling but also an integral part of the company’s broader strategy to expand into international markets. XDS has long been a leader in China’s bicycle market, and now, with the XDS Astana Team, the company is ready to take its next big leap," the team said.
"The partnership with the XDS Astana Team is a powerful statement of XDS’s ambition to become a global leader in the cycling industry."
XDS Astana face a fight to stay in the WorldTour beyond 2025 and the UCI deemed their registration for next season conditional on the submission of additional documents by 15 January. The announcement in Shenzhen could well indicate those issues will soon be resolved.
The team has invested massively in strengthening its roster to score vital ranking points in 2025. Italian national champion Alberto Bettiol joined mid-season and 13 other riders are new for 2025. Alexey Lutsenko has moved to Israel-Premier Tech but new riders include Wout Poels, Diego Ulissi, Mike Teunissen, Sergio Higuita, Clément Champoussin, Diego Ulissi, Fausto Masnada and Kiwi sprinter Aaron Gate. A number of Kazakhstani riders have left the team, while Michael Mørkøv and Cavendish have retired.
Britain's Pete Kennaugh and Alex Dowsett have joined the team's staff to help drive the change. Dowsett is the team's performance engineer, while Kennaugh is a directeur sportif. Veteran Italian directeur sportif Beppe Martinelli has retired, while Belgian Lorenzo Lapage and recently retired Lidl-Trek rider Dario Cataldo also take up roles as directeur sportif.
XDS Astana have also invested in their Performance Group, with Helmut Dollinger, Manuel Crespo, and Morgan Saussine joining the team alongside Dowsett. Vasilis Anastopoulos, who helped Mark Cavendish return to form in recent years, remains as the team's Head of Performance, with Maurizio Mazzoleni the team's Sports Manager.
